Lab Rat
by notyoureverydayfreak
Summary: 'Born' and raised in a lab until the age of eight, Jack is living with his adoptive father, attempting to disguise what he really is; an escaped lab rat. Jack's plan is to hide in plain sight, but he has no idea how good he is at it, befriending none other than the son of the man responsible for finding him. Hijack fic. (Cover art by thelampinferno on Tumblr.)
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't uploaded anything on this site in so long, so sorry if I seem like a novice. I assure you, it was my life two years ago :'D**

**Sorry for it being so short, hope everyone likes it! If I get good reviews, I'll most definitely continue it with _much _longer chapters. Also, though I have a basic outline for where I'm going with this, suggestions are most definitely welcome. Also, though I'm changing some of the details and the longterm plot, this fic is closely based off of _Project Paper Doll: The Rules._**

**Also I can't write out accents so I'm not going to try :'D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a Macbook and copies of movies/books I did not write.**

Out of all the places Jack could be forced to go for hours everyday, it had to be classrooms. Father always said it was for the best; someone like Jack needed to appear as normal as possible, which was harder than Jack had first anticipated, back in the third grade when he began attending school. A real school, that is.

Before having moved in with North, he _had _had training, which included basic school subjects as well as cultural studies. In fact, Jack was quite advanced intellectually for a kid his age, and still was. He didn't even have an issue fitting in, the problem was, he wasn't allowed to. At least, not to his full potential.

He couldn't be popular, nor could he be a social outcast, it _sounds_ like a simple enough rule to follow, but staying middle class in high school terms, yet remain invisible was a hard thing to do.

It wasn't like Jack didn't have any friends, he just wasn't particularly close to any of them. It was just the way it had to be, and Jack had gotten used to it. He was happy with the way it was, just him and Father. That was, when he was home...

Jack was pulled away from his thoughts as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Scooting his chair out from beneath the desk enough to position his legs on the side of his seat, he twisted his torso in order to look at the girl behind him with a raised brow.

"What is i-" his expression changed and he shook his head, "I know, we're getting tested on this," he mumbled so the teacher wouldn't hear, "I'm recording the lecture and listening to it tonight."

The young woman seemed pleased, "Good, I don't feel like tutoring you over the phone again. You have the worst reception..." the brunette mumbled back.

Jack let out a small huff, "It was sixth grade, Ana, let it go," he said in a quiet voice, turning back around in his chair before he could get caught.

Murmuring, "Yeah, yeah..." the sophomore turned back to her notebook, trying to catch up on the parts of the lecture she had missed.

Ana had the strange ability to be able to listen to multiple people at once and absorb everything each one of them said. What Jack would do for a brain like that.

About twenty minutes later, the bell rung and Jack rushed off to the boys' bathroom and into an empty stall. Fishing his phone from his right pocket, a stick concealer from his left, he turned on the front cam, biting his lip, "Dammit..." he mumbled, applying a bit of the concealer to his jaw where there was a hint of a blue tint to his pale skin.

After a few moments of inspecting his face for other spots the makeup had faded, he stuffed his things back in his pocket and walked out the stall door to the sink. Who knows how often the stall doors get cleaned. Jack turned the handle, glancing at the mirror in front of him. He grimaced, trying to wet down his snow white hair which was sticking up all over the place, giving up after a few minutes.

Dumb hair.

Jack grabbed a few paper towels the janitor had left on the counter, evidently not having time to actually refill the towel dispenser, and walked to the door, jumping back when the door opened for him, a boy on the other side.

"Hey," the kid greeted, a sweet softness to his usual (mildly) nasally voice, his green eyes no more than a centimeter below Jack's blue.

"Hey," he greeted back, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Passing by each other, Jack smiled to himself as he made his way to his locker and grabbed his history books, running off to class.

...

"Nooorth?" Jack called as he stepped into the house, backpack hung over his shoulder, "You home?" Jack closed the front door, opening the closet directly in front of it, hanging his backpack up on a hook. Turning to his left, he walked out into the open space, right side serving as a living room, left side dining room.

A large, almost rectangle shaped man with a long white beard, looked up from where he sat at the end of the dining table which was cluttered with papers, as well as a laptop and an empty microwave dinner container. North set down the cell phone, standing with a concerned but stern expression on his face, "I just got off the phone with Mr. Pitch."

"Oh."

"He'd called me, offering to recruit me for another search," North informed him.

Jack bit at his thin lower lip but nodded, "That's not too bad though, right? I mean... it's happened before," it was always happening, really, "They haven't found me yet," he gave the man a weak yet playful smile.

North shook his head, "That may be, but this time it's different... it's not just them anymore."

Jack frowned.

"They're teaming up with the police force, Jack. It won't just be a few dozen people looking for you anymore, Jack. You have to be more careful than usual."

Jack's shoulders sunk down, "I'm always careful..."

The man's bushy eyebrows joined together, "You had better be unless you want to go back to the lab..."

Jack winced, "I'll be more careful."

"Good," North's stern expression was replaced with a smile, "There's some chicken and rice left over from last night, you can have that for dinner."

Jack held himself, arms crossed over his chest, "I think I'm just going to head to bed, I'll set my alarm early for homework," he sighed, "Goodnight..."

North sat on the couch in the living room area, flipping on the TV, "Goodnight, Jack."

Jack stared at the ground, taking off his shoes and tossing them in the closet, walking forward and past the living and dining room area, into a horizontal hallway, turning to his left and ran up the stairs into his bedroom.

**Reviews and criticism would be great! If I end up writing a second chapter, Jack's backstory will be more clear, I kept it pretty vague in this chapter :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Back with another chapter :D It wasn't as long as I'd planned on, but it felt like a good time to end it. Oh! And though I mentioned the series this is based off of, I didn't mention the author's name. **

**So yup this fanfiction, though the plot doesn't have to do much with it, the backstory and a few other elements are based on _The Rules _by Stacey Kade (part of the _Project Paper Doll_ series)**

**Also, I'm feeling more sick than usual so sorry about the writing.**

**Happy reading!**

Jack stared down at his tennis shoes with a bored expression as he leaned against a rounded support beam, "Nooorth, just pick some cookies so we can go, my feet are starting to get sore," the boy whined as he tore his gaze from his dreadful footwear.

Jack's feet had an odd shape, long toes and an abnormally wide metatarsal area. His foot was also flatter than most, which made wearing shoes a pain, quite literally, so the teen preferred not to wear them when he didn't have to.

North turned his neck to look at him, beard following his movement, "Jack, I don't ask for much, just give a man some time to pick out his treats carefully, hm?"

Jack huffed, arms crossed over his chest, "Well I'm going to check out and go to the car," Jack shuffled out of the grocery store aisle, walking as if he were stepping on nails. He could hear a deep chuckle as he got further away, "Thanks for the support!" he called to his father sarcastically.

Once he had gotten to the checkout counter, he opened up the cooler attached to the candy and magazine racks, grabbing a bottled iced tea. He set it on the conveyor belt and smiled as he handed over two dollars and taking his receipt, "Thank you," he said with a smile and turned to his right, about to walk out the door when an officer stopped him.

The man took the bottle from Jack without a word, nodding his head in approval when he saw the 'Paid for' sticker on the side of the tea, "Here ya go, kid."

Jack took the bottle back with a polite smile, "Thank yo-"

The man arched an eyebrow, staring at the teen's outstretched hand, "Blue?" his confused expression was replaced with wide eyes, "You're _it_, aren't you?" he said with a hint of disgust, but his eyes were filled with greed.

Before Jack had a chance to react, the officer grabbed his wrist and reached around to pull at the other so they were held again one another, tea falling to the tiled floor, "Ooh I'm going to get a promotion because of you, boy."

Jack's eyes widened in fear, about to croak out North's name but shut his mouth. Sure, Jack would be going back to the lab but there was no reason North should get in trouble, too.

Police sirens were sounding outside, but Jack was too shaken up to wonder how the man had managed to call in a report that fast without him noticing.

Jack turned his neck, trying to look at the man, "P-please," he began to plead, "No..."

…

Jack's eyes shot open, a warm liquid dripping down his face, unsure whether it was sweat or tears. It was probably both. An alarm was blaring, and Jack quickly sat up, fingers trembling as he unlocked his android, turning off the alarm he had set the night before.

He slid his legs out from under the covers, ignoring the cold air when it made contact with his skin and stood up. Forcing his left leg, which was asleep, to move, he made his way to the full body mirror attached to his closet door. Jack's puffy eyes grazed over his reflection before looking down at his hands with shrunken shoulders, sullen expression.

…

North had been scrolling through the local newspaper website when he heard a chair squeak as it was pulled out from under the table. Without looking up, North mumbled, "Morning, son..."

"Morning, Father," the teen replied dully as he bit into a granola bar.

North had given up trying to commence conversation after Jack had lived there for a year. The only times they talked were when something neededto be said or on rare occasions that Jack would begin a conversation.

A half hour passed by and Jack stood, chair squeaking again, "What time are you getting home?" Jack asked quietly.

"Five."

Jack nodded, "See you then..." he mumbled, zipping up his grey blue hoodie (it helped distract from his abnormal skin color) and scooping up his books, walking out the front door.

…

"Dad! I'm leaving for school!" an auburn haired boy called, hoisting a dark brown backpack over his shoulder, almost toppling over at the weight, smacking his temple on the front door frame, "When are they gonna allow e-textbooks..." he mumbled as he rubbed his forehead, turning the handle of the door.

"Herrick! Come here for a minute we need to talk."

The boy's mouth twitched, "I told you, it's Hiccup..." he mumbled inaudibly, but turned around and walked back through the small living room and into the kitchen, "Yeah?"

There was a man standing next to the counter, pouring himself a mug-full of coffee, eyes trained on the boy, "You remember that meeting I told you about yesterday about the department, correct?"

Hiccup resisted an eye roll, "Yeah, 'correct'," he mocked, though his father chose to ignore it.

"BGL decided to let us in on the rumored case of a missing project..." Hiccup vaguely recognized the company initialism. It was a laboratory about fifteen miles from their home in a part of town he didn't go to that often, "But it wasn't exactly what we were expecting..." the man bit his lip, lost in thought.

"Meaning..?" Hiccup glanced at the clock on the wall, "Kinda on a schedule, Dad."

The man looked back to his son and shook his head, "Just let me know if there's any unusual behavior at school, okay?"

"Wha-" Hiccup shook his head. He was already pushing it if he wanted to stop for coffee and he wasn't particularly interested in the conversation anyway, "Uh alright. See you tonight," the green-eyed boy shook his head and rushed back to the front door.

"Mhm..." came a muffled reply as Hiccup raced outside and into his car.

…

"_They don't even have police officers at grocery stores, Stupid," _Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes at the inaccuracy of his dreams, burying his face in his arms after pushing aside his lunch tray.

Jack continued to scrutinize his dream in his thoughts, head in arms, when an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

"Is uh... is he okay?"

A voice he recognized as Ana's spoke up after a moment, "I'm not sure, he's been a grump all day and-"

"I'm fine, Tooth," he smirked to himself, knowing the nickname would make her quiet down for a while, "I told you, I didn't get much sleep last night," Jack turned around to face the boy, the one he vaguely recognized as the boy from the bathroom the day prior.

The boy's eyebrows knit as he looked at Jack's face, "Yeah... you look like it."

"Meaning?" his eyebrow arched.

The other teen cleared his throat awkwardly and tilted his head slightly with narrowed eyes, "Around your eyes... I don't know, it's just an odd color..."

"He's right, Jack," Ana frowned, "Are you sure you aren't feeling sick?"

_Shit._

"I uh... maybe a little..." his face was hot, unsure what he should have said. If he had said no it would be too suspicious, but if he had answered yes...

"I could take you to the nurse," the boy offered, biting at his lower lip, seeming concerned.

And there it was.

"N-no, really I'm feeling fine, guys..." Jack looked at Ana for help but she shook her head, arms crossed over her chest.

"You're going with him, Jack."

His shoulders shrunk but nodded, "Fine," there was usually a line of students trying to get out of class at the nurse's office anyway, he could just leave after this kid left. Jack stood up with a sigh, "I can make it there myself you know."

"Uh huh," the other teen chuckled a bit to himself, sarcasm evident in his voice, "I'm Hiccup by the way," he introduced as they started to walk out of the lunch room and into the hallway.

"Yep."

"And you're Jack, right?" 'Hiccup' peered over at the other, tilting his head slightly.

"Mhm."

"We were in the same classes back in middle school, right?" the shorter of the the two questioned.

"Yup."

"Great conversationalist..." Hiccup mumbled, slim arms crossed over his chest with a slight huff.

Jack hadn't meant to appear rude, he just knew the dangers of getting close with someone- or too many people. He wasn't sure having more friends than the two he already had now would be a good idea. So, despite his guilt, Jack decided to leave it. Besides, being friends with him could potentially bring _much _more pain than just a bit of rejection from someone this kid didn't even _know._

They arrived at the nurse's office a few minutes later, Jack ignoring any other attempts of conversation the boy made (surprisingly, many; this kid sure had stubbornness issues). Jack stared at the entrance. No line.

He gulped, "I..."

Hiccup raised a brow, "What?"

"Nothing," Jack mumbled, walking in, head down.

Hiccup followed him in, sitting at one of the two chairs against the wall. The room was set up much like a doctor's office, but instead of the bed lifted up high, it was a bit less than three feet off the ground.

The white haired teen sat on the bed stiffly and looked at Hiccup, "You can leave..." he tried to seem casual about it but it came out more urging than anything.

Jack held back a groan and sucked in when the nurse turned from her desk, "What's the probl- oh my," she stood from her desk and scrambled over to the shelf, "What are your symptoms?" came the muffled question.

"Uh..." Jack hadn't thought of what he should say, as he wasn't planning on seeing the nurse at all, "Headache..?" he bit his lip.

The woman didn't seem to notice his hesitance, grabbing a bottle of acetaminophen, pouring two into her hand as well as some water into a cup, handing it over and biting her thumbnail, "Your skin looks almost blue..."

"So I've heard..." he grumbled, taking a gulp of the water and slipping the pills into his pocket.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed a bit when he saw that. If he was really feeling sick wouldn't he be taking them? Maybe he was allergic but didn't want to cause a fuss. That seemed a bit unlikely.

The woman had been bustling around, gathering some blankets after insisting Jack lay down, pouring more water, then took a washcloth from the shelf and drenched it in water, about to put it on Jack's forehead but he flinched and pulled away, "I-I really don't feel too sick... I mean, I'm fine, I promise..." he laughed nervously.

"Hon... you aren't fine..." the woman frowned, attempting to put the wet washcloth on his forehead and he pulled away again.

His heartbeat sounded like an alarm, pumping hard and loud in his ears, face flushed with blue, only making the situation worse. Jack looked at Hiccup, lip trembling, but his expression sent a clear message.

_Help me._

**Horray for most cliche & poorly written endings ever :D**

**Again, sorry it was so much shorter than I'd originally intended. I'm really trying not to give away too much of Jack's story too fast, so sorry if you were hoping for more :c**

**Thanks for the reviews, they're very useful. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I haven't gotten the idea of long chapters apparently, so whoops. In reply to the guest, Snowflake, Jack's afraid of the washcloth because it would wipe all of the makeup off, so instead of his face just being a bit blue around the eyes, it would be a bit more vibrant all over his entire face. So, instead of just looking sickly, it'd look unnatural. **

**I also apologize for Hiccup's name, some people do Henry, Henrick, Herrick, and I chose Herrick because I like'd how it sounded X'D. Enjoy the chapter, feel free to PM/review with any questions, I'll gladly answer :D**

**Sorry for the late update, but good news! The series this fic is based off of, I got to meet the author, so that was great! You should check her out because she's super sweet.**

**Ya' know how the disclaimers go, all rights go to their owners such as Dreamworks Animation and Disney Hyperion. Characters from _How to Train Your Dragon _& _Rise of the Guardians _and based on the series _Project Paper Doll _by Stacey Kade. **

**Enjoy~ (oh god it's 2010 all over again ~ isn't a thing anymore, huh?)**

_Help me._

Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed, the clarity of the unspoken message was, to say the least, disturbing. It was almost as if he could hear Jack's voice, but the young man's mouth wasn't moving. In fact, his face was just about frozen in a terrified expression aside from the slight tremble of his lower lip. Odd.

_Don't just stand there, dork, help me out._

This time it was urgent, and Hiccup was beginning to wonder if he'd gone insane. How else would all of this even be possible? Jack was weird, but that didn't mean he was capable of anything like _that._

Either way, something about the washcloth was obviously scaring him and Hiccup felt inclined to help him. Probably had something to do with the voice in his head telling him to do so. His eyes scanned for something he could use as a distraction, though he wasn't even sure that was what Jack wanted. Couldn't he have been a little more specific?... The voice... in his head.

As if to answer his unstated question, the teen gave a slight encouraging nod before turning back to the black haired woman in front of him, "This really isn't necessary, Miss Lockhart... I'm fine..." he forced a smile through gritted teeth.

Hiccup's eyes eventually locked on the woman's desk, specifically on a glass jar filled three quarters of the way full with cough drops. Without thinking, he shoved it off the desk, wincing when it hit the ground, shattering. Glass shards scattered across the floor, and the woman dropped the washcloth to the ground, eyes wide.

"Herrick!" she scolded, stepping away from Jack, who stood up wobbly and inched his way out the door.

"Wasn't me! Well uh... lunch hour's almost over.. I gotta go..." before the woman could say another word, he dashed out the door. Hiccup's eyes darted around the hallway, spotting a head of white dodging other students. He raced down the walkway and grabbed Jack by the shoulder, "What was that about?!"

Jack's eyes were wide, staring at the slightly shorter boy, "What was what about?" he tried to appear calm, though his fingers fidgeted with his hoodie strings nervously. Jack looked like an overall wreck, really, with the blue surrounding his eyes and still-trembling lip.

What was Hiccup supposed to reply with? _Uh, the voices in my were telling me to save you. _Yeah, no. The auburn haired teen tilted his head a bit, pulling the both of them into the bathroom and water fountain area, "You ran from the nurse's office... but you're sick right?"

"No."

"But you sai-"

"I'm not sick, end of story," Jack glanced at the wall clock. Twenty-seven seconds, then this conversation could be over and the bell would ring.

"You look really sick, I mean-" he made a small gesture with his hand to Jack's face, "Your skin..."

"I'm aware of my skin, Hiccup..." Jack mumbled. _Fifteen...f__ourteen..._

Hiccup bit his lip, unsure how to reply, "But you... I just..." he rubbed his upper arm before dropping his hand, "I want an explanation after school..." his voice was hesitant, though intended to be threatening.

"Uh huh," Jack smirked, "Anything else, mom?"

A glare answered his question and Jack took the opportunity to turn his back and walk away, concealing a proud smile, turning the corner into the bathroom as the bell rung.

...

"Jack!"

Said teen's locker door slammed shut, bonking him in the head, but Ana didn't seem to notice, bouncing up and down.

"Guess who aced their health quiz again?" she questioned in a sing-song voice.

"Jimmy Neutron?" he responded dully, rubbing his temple. That washcloth back in the nurse's office didn't seem like such a bad idea now.

"No," the young woman forced a glare before grinning again, handing him a piece of paper, a small '100 %' in that illegible handwriting every teacher seemed to have, "Isn't that great?" the brunette snatched the quiz back, holding it to her chest.

"Just as great as it every week," the boy chortled, pulling his books to his chest somewhat protectively, "But I'm glad you're happy," Jack shook his head, "We skyping tonight or..?"

"I'll text you if I can," the girl smiled, "I gotta get home, I forgot to feed Baby Tooth this morning," Ana stuffed her paper in a green folder, giving Jack a small wave with her even smaller hand before skipping off.

"Bye," Jack laughed to himself quietly to himself. It was always hard to keep a conversation going with that girl; she was always so busy.

Jack's thoughts stopped when he heard someone clearing his throat next to him, and Jack frowned, "I thought you were joking about the whole mom thing."

"I'm a curious person," Hiccup shrugged.

"And I'm a person who really values time alone," Jack secured his lock and began walking down the hall, hoping the teen would get the idea.

"Could I have some answers without the sass?" Hiccup followed, having trouble keeping up. Through the crowd of students, Jack seemed to have a knack for plotting exactly how he'd make it out the door, whereas Hiccup had to go at a slow pace to avoid collision or tripping.

"Wasn't that just sass?"

"No it was a request."

Jack bit his lower lip, "True. But I told you before, I didn't feel sick. I left. What's the big deal?"

"People don't just have blue skin one minute, then come back back with healthy skin the next," Hiccup laughed, almost a nervous one, "People don't have blue skin in general!"

"I don't have to explain anything..." Jack persisted, sighing once he got out the front door. No way was he losing this kid in the crowd now that they were outside.

"But it's just no-"

"They don't know what it is," Jack blurted out, "The doctors, they don't know why. It happens sometimes," sure, lying might not have been the best option but who'd want to hang out with a diseased freak who could potentially be contagious. It would be the best way to keep this kid out of his life.

Hiccup's face went pale, "Oh."

"Can I go home now?"

The auburn haired teen looked up at the taller of two. He wasn't sure how likely his story was, but he couldn't think of any other possibilities. His expression softened into a sympathetic smile, but shook his head, "Do you want to? Or do you just want to avoid the topic?"

"You don't really give up do you?" Jack laughed nervously. He was tempted to keep talking to Hiccup, he seemed friendly enough (a bit stubborn, but friendly nonetheless) and Jack didn't want to make him feel rejected. It wasn't like he was making any commitments, just accepting an invitation to chat, "...And if you're willing to avoid the topic, yeah, that'd be cool."

...

_How could you have let your abilities get so out of hand like that, Dumbass? _Jack criticized himself, kicking a pebble on the side of the road of which he had been walking on. _Idiot. _Back at the nurse's office, Jack could have easily used his _skills, _for lack of a better word, to knock over that cough drop container without communicating with Hiccup like that. The poor kid (who had made an opposite turn five minutes ago) had probably gone home thinking one of them was a freak. Most likely himself. If that was the case, it would be better for both of them in the long run, but Jack's guilty conscious would not handle it well.

_He probably feels like an idiot... _and there went said conscious, _Not to mention crazy. It's enough to harass someone over a medical issue **which you don't have, **but making someone think they have a mental condition... tsk tsk... _Jack's 'conscious' was beginning to sound a whole lot like Black. Taunting, yet disappointed and drenched in disapproval.

Great. Not only had the man ruined his life, but now he was inside his head. Just perfect.

Jack approached his home, flipping up the shiny metal panel next to the gate, punching in the code _(0318)  
_and waited for the click of the gate, shoving it open and swinging it shut once he was inside the bland yard. Shuffling up the stairs of the porch and into the house, Jack called out quietly, "North?"

"How was school?" the man's voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Fine," Jack lied through his teeth. He hated lying to his father, but telling the truth wasn't an option, "Work?"

"Fine," North replied in a mumble. Jack could hear clicking from the other room and realized the man was probably busy on his laptop.

"See you tomorrow morning..." Jack mumbled, setting down his stack of books on the dining room table and had retreated up the staircase before he could hear the man's reply.

...

Jack stared up at the white ceiling of his bedroom, arms wrapped around himself protectively, warm tears falling from his eyes, freezing cold by the time they trickled past his ear, jaw, neck, and absorbed into his shirt. _That dream wasn't that off base, you know, _Jack told himself. Silently, of course. No way was he getting past the lump in his throat or chapped lips which had stuck together, _Sure, they don't have police officers working at grocery stores, but that doesn't mean they don't shop there, _Jack had realized earlier in the day how bad it really was. If an officer had managed to find North the one time Jack had ever seen him speed, how long did _he_ have?

How long until he would be locked up in the padded white-walled room again? _White walls... _Jack could feel his throat closing up. He needed to get out of this room... His eyes scanned for any sort of color, locking on the sky blue door which led to his bathroom.

Pulling his grey bedspread up and around himself, he took a wobbly step out of bed, then another, then another... _What kind of sick joke is this anyway? Stick the kid in the room which looks exactly like his old torture chamber, it'll be hilarious, _Jack reached out a trembling hand and turned the doorknob, stumbling into his blue-tiled bathroom, climbing into the bathtub, curling up into a fetal position. Hands clutching onto his comforter, he managed to steady his sobs aside from a few chokes here and there.

Suddenly a bitter laugh. _Created to be fearless, and now all I feel is fear... I win, BGL, I win...__  
_

**Thanks for all the reviews and stuff, they're really encouraging/helpful.**

**-Riss**


	4. Chapter 4

**Writer is bad so writer is late.**

**Very late. This chapter is super short because I had tons of things to do this week and my sister was home from college so I had to end it quick.**

**Enjoy the thing.**

Hiccup had been having, to say the least, difficult day. If you could call it a _day, _as he'd hardly slept at all the night before. No, he had spent his night worrying for his father's mental health, as well as his own. He must have been crazy if he believed he could talk to his dad about anything without him making it about 'the good of the city' also known as the abundance of money in their bank account. Forget about things as petty as _sleep_. The only reason Hiccup hadn't passed out during lunch would mean spending more time than he had to upstairs with his father. That and the luxury of having a Starbucks only a few blocks away.

It is easy to stress more about minor affairs when tired and Hiccup had learned that the hard way. Hard way translating to wooden shards of pencil scattered around his bedroom from his multiple silent tantrums the night before. Yet another pencil in hand, Hiccup's teeth ground together as it snapped, throwing the remains to the ground as well.

"Herrick?" Stoick's deep voice boomed from the hallway, "Did the boy respond yet?"

"He's checking with his dad," Hiccup replied blandly.

A scoff could be heard from the man, "Call me if he texts back, I'm going to work," Hiccup heard heavy footsteps stomping up the staircase as well as the faint sound of the front door closing.

...

Jack rarely found himself thinking about the future, aside from the ones that made him tremble with fear. Fears which were, unfortunately, logical and things he had to be prepared for. Fears of walking home and someone inside one of those creepy black vans realizing his skin was a bit _too _pale, a bit _too _flawless. Fears of waking up stuffed inside a musty old bag, getting jostled around in the back of said van. Fears of waking up to the erie voice of the tall dark man on the other side of the protective glass _every aching day _for the rest of his miserable life. _  
_

Just as it had been his first eight years of being alive.

Perhaps ambitions was a better word than future. Jack rarely found himself thinking about _his ambitions. _He had accepted a long time ago that college wasn't really an option and he tried not to focus on what he would end up doing after high school. Jack knew he'd be found before that.

But today was different. His future was all Jack could seem to think about. Maybe it was to distract himself from his fears. Maybe it was a side affect of talking to that Hiccup boy. The poor kid acted like no one had stopped and listened to him a day in his life. Though, from the sound of it, no one had.

_"What about you, Jack?"_

_"What about me?"_

_The boy had grinned up at him with crooked teeth, "Ya' know, your dreams. What you want to do!"_

Jack hadn't known how to answer to that. The only thing that had come to mind was a scientist (it was all he knew; if Hiccup asked about it, he'd be able to recall at least a few answers from North's rants when coworkers came over for dinner. Those nights Jack had to eat upstairs, but he could still hear the conversations. It had appeared all they had in common was in fact their work.) But the thought made Jack cringe. He'd had enough scientist 'friends' for a lifetime. Maybe he could be an anti-scientist. _A mad scientist._

_Idiot, _there went his so-called conscious which he was beginning to trust less and less, _You're in danger of being found and all you can think about are your fourth grade fantasies. Tsk tsk..._

Jack was contemplating banging his own head against the wall just to make this stupid voice _shut up._

His mind instead began to wander back to the auburn haired fishbone, who had seemed a bit disappointed when Jack's only answer was, _"I don't know," _but continued rambling happily not a minute later and only stopped once they had to head in separate directions. Jack had felt... sad to see him go.

It was now 1:00 pm Saturday afternoon, the day after they had parted ways, and Jack was left in sitting in his bathtub and staring at his phone which lay next to his half finished sandwich. Suddenly, the phone buzzed, sending loud vibrations throughout the tub.

At 12:31 pm Jack had sent a text to North asking for permission to have someone over for a 'project,' which was usually the excuse used when some crazy make-out session was about to happen. But in Jack's world, getting close to someone was a big no-no, so asking to have a potential friend over might not be the best plan.

_**Father: **Be careful. [1:08 pm]_


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: mild gore**

**Also, if anyone would be willing to message me if you find any fanarts that might relate to this fic (really any sort of modern!hijack that isn't super mushy) or something, mind shooting me an ask to my tumblr?**

Jack's heart was somewhere between beating right out of his chest and falling to the pit of his stomach with anticipation. What was the point of all of this? To make a new friend?

_Ha. When did **you **become so trusting?_ Jack's conscience seemed to taunt him, causing him to question just about everything. Including the original question. When _had _he become so trusting? Hell, one year ago, Jack would have replied to to Hiccup's _futile _question of 'Would it be alright if I come over?' with a straightforward 'no,' absolutely no thought necessary. Anytime he talked to anyone but North, he was one step closer to being discovered. To being carted away in a freakish black van and never see color again. Just white walls, white clothes, and a white brass bed. He might even get lucky and get human contact with the lab assistant who strapped on the restraints before his testings.

Memories from BGL poured in until Jack felt like he would overflow, clutching to his arms protectively, eyes closed.

_"It can't hurt too bad, three-eighteen; you **were **constructed to survive explosions," the man's voice was so relaxed. It was hard to believe he had just overseen Jack's arm being shattered to pieces in the name of science, listening to such a young child scream in such agony. _

_But Pitch had never seen Jack as a child. Pitch had never seen Jack as anything but a guinea pig or a lab rat. He was nothing but a freak of nature. Whatever helped him sleep at night, not worrying about how or if Jack slept. _

_"I was made to **survive**, no one ever said it wouldn't hurt," Jack had managed through snotty sniffles._

_That comment had earned him two days of solitude. In that time, Jack had taught himself to be grateful for the black and blue bruises and crimson red blood that had dried onto his arm. Better than white, right?_

Jack glanced at the time, sucking in a breath. _2:21. _This would be the first time anyone but North and him had been inside this house. At least, anyone _he _knew.

A snort.

Jack knew everyone, just nobody knew Jack.

There was a knock on the door, and Jack's face paled as he stood to open it. Was it typical for a human to invite themselves over after a day of knowing another? Jack had no way of knowing. For all he knew, this could be a trap.

But if that were the case, it was too late.

Jack did his best to fake a smile as he opened up the door, resisting a lip bite. Eyes scanning over the teen in front of him, Hiccup's thoughts echoed as they copied into Jack's head.

_Don't tell him. Don't tell him. Don't tell him._

Jack grimaced. That couldn't be good.

Nonetheless, Jack kept his smile up as he began to welcome him inside, taking his jacket and hanging it up. After greeting each other, Jack showed a bit of hesitation, "So did you just want to hang out or was there a specific reason for asking to come over?"

"The first one," Hiccup replied quickly, twirling and untwirling a dangling string from his sleeve.

Jack could feel that Hiccup was nervous, but he was sure any human could figure that out. Something was off, but Hiccup seemed to be putting up some sort of barrier to prevent Jack from finding out what that was. All Jack could get from him was that same chant.

_Don't tell him. Don't tell him. Don't tell him._

"Well," Jack started, pushing aside his suspicions, "I'm glad I made such a good impression."

A sincere smile, "Yeah... you did."

No signs of deception. Odd.

"So should we go to your room or..?" Hiccup raised a brow, following Jack's dull gaze to see nothing but suburbia.

The teen's head snapped up and looked at Hiccup, alert, "No," his tone had a strict sound to it, as if it were _obvious _that they couldn't go to his room. Suddenly aware of how it had sounded, he laughed lightly and shook his head, "-It's a mess in there, you wouldn't want to anyway," a complete lie. The room looked like an IKEA catalog. In a way, it was. There hadn't been any changes to the room since he had first arrived other other than switching out the clothing in his wardrobe. If the room itself was neat, it would be harder to find evidence that Jack was _not_ supposed to be there, "How about going to the basement instead?"

"Sounds good," Hiccup shrugged off his own suspicions, following Jack to the basement staircase, hint of a smile playing at his lips.

...

"No no no, _that _one," Jack laughed, picking up the other teen's arm, thumb tapping a rather large freckle on Hiccup's wrist.

"It just looks like a blob, Jack."

He faked an exasperated groaned, "Use your _imagination, _Hiccup."

"It doesn't matter how much imagination I use, there is no way that looks like a crescent moon," Hiccup sat up taller, stubborn expression on his face.

Jack sat back as well, cross-legged and biting his thumbnail. He hummed, "Well that one on your neck sort looks lik- no..."

"Why are you persistent on this, again?" Hiccup tried to look annoyed, but his face was red at this point from holding back laughs.

"Why are _you _so against it? C'mon, it's better than watching clouds!"

"No one ever claimed watching clouds was a good idea," Hiccup raised a challenging eyebrow, looking Jack over for any sort of impurities.

"Well _I _like watching clouds thank yo-"

"What is that?" Hiccup tilted his head as he leaned forward to examine his peer. He only got a glance at it, a sharp edged black figure located on the left side of his chest, just below the collarbone.

Jack's eyes widened. _Shit._ Hands trembling, he grabbed the grey hoodie he had tossed aside earlier, struggling to slip it on and zip it up. The white haired teen looked up nervously, "I-I'm sorry what was that?"

"I was just..." the teen's eyes narrowed a bit, "Forget it."

_Gladly, _"What were we talking about again?"

"Crescent moons."

**Again, sorry for the short chapter. I do intend to write longer chapters but it's been a busy few weeks. Shorter the chapters, longer the fic will last, I guess. At least I managed to fit in a little backstory in.**

**In case anyone was wondering my Tumblr is themoonsavedme if I haven't mentioned it before.**


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